Dokusan (Practice Discussion) Dokusan or practice discussion is a one-on-one meeting with one of the teachers at Stone Creek Zen Center. You are welcome to make an appointment with any of the teachers to talk about Zen practice and its place in your life. You do not need to have a specific question. By the time I had sesshins with Amala-sensei, I had new habitual ways of approaching dokusan with Roshi that she didn’t have the language for, making those habits much more visible. Then, because Amala-sensei is a woman, I felt much more comfortable addressing questions that had been coming up that were related to being a woman on the path.
Sanzen (参禅), aka nisshitsu (入室), means going to a Zen master for instruction. In the Rinzai school, it has the same meaning as dokusan, which is specifically a private interview between student and master,[1] often centering on the student's grasp of an assigned koan. If the master rings a bell to dismiss the student, this means the student's understanding is not right and that their work with the koan must continue. It is typically held twice a day in a monastery, though during a week-long sesshin sanzen may take place as often as four times in one day.[2][3][4][5]
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Notes[edit]
- ^Fischer-Schreiber 1989, pg. 306
- ^Loori, 80
- ^Suzuki, 105-106
- ^Chadwick, 249
- ^Omori, 145
References[edit]
- Chadwick, David (1994). Thank You and OK!: An American Zen Failure in Japan. Arkana. ISBN0-14-019457-6. OCLC29638449.
- Loori, John Daido (2002). The Art of Just Sitting: Essential Writings on the Zen Practice of Shikantaza. Wisdom Publications. ISBN0-86171-327-3. OCLC49773732.
- Fischer-Schreiber, Ingrid; Schuhmacher, Stephan; Woerner, Gert (1989). The Encyclopedia of Eastern Philosophy and Religion: Buddhism, Taoism, Zen, Hinduism. Shambhala Publications. ISBN0-87773-433-X.
- Omori, Sogen; Dōgen Hosokawa; Roy Kenichi Yoshimoto (1996). An Introduction to Zen Training: A Translation of Sanzen Nyumon. Kegan Paul International. ISBN0-7103-0534-6. OCLC35042686.
- Suzuki, D.T.; Zenchu Sato (2004). The Training of the Zen Buddhist Monk. Cosimo Classics. ISBN1-59605-041-1. OCLC67391001.
Dokusan Room
Ancient Dragon Zen Center